Chewy olive oil and tahini chocolate chunk cookies

These olive oil and tahini chocolate chunk cookies are soft, chewy, delicious and full of healthy fats. They can also be made vegan!

You don’t know how happy I am, sharing this recipe with you! I first made these big, soft and chewy olive oil and tahini chocolate chunk cookies some while ago, and they were so good, that I had a hard time holding myself from posting them before planned. Why? Because this is a very easy recipe to make (no melting the butter or bringing all the ingredients at room temperature), it’s healthier than your usual chocolate chip cookie made with butter (lots of good-for-your-heart fats here!), and it is SO GOOD AND DELICIOUS that you’ll want to make it over and over! Plus, look how good they look!

In a way, these cookies remind me of these tahini and chocolate fudge popsicles because they too have all of the above characteristics but in the form of a popsicle! 🙂 And remember, if you want them to be vegan, all you have to do is mix 1 tablespoon ground chia (or flax) seeds with 4 tablespoons water and use this mixture to replace the egg in the recipe 🙂

My inspiration for these tahini chocolate chunk cookies was a Cretan traditional recipe for olive oil almond biscotti (kalorizika) which is made only with olive oil and is naturally vegan since it has no eggs or milk. These kalorizika are some of my most favorite cookies and absolutely divine when dunked in hot coffee! Like every biscotti recipe, they are double baked in order to dry out and become crispy. But, before I bake them for the second time, I always keep some aside (to eat) because they’re so soft and moist. So, it was while eating one of these cookies when I realized I should make a chocolate chip cookie with no butter, but with olive oil.

Here, ALL the butter is replaced with tahini and olive oil. That is what makes these cookies so moist and chewy. So, can you taste the olive oil or the tahini?

When these cookies are still warm, you’ll get just a hint of tahini. When completely cooled, you’ll have to try really hard to tell if there’s tahini (or olive oil) in them.

How can this be possible? This is because of the vanilla, cinnamon and instant espresso coffee, which have the ability to complement the flavor of the tahini and olive oil resulting in an amazing cookie! And no, you can’t taste the cinnamon or coffee (so don’t omit them!). In fact, when you taste these cookies the next day, you’ll ask yourself: did I use butter instead of tahini and olive oil?

OK, I won’t taste the tahini or olive oil. What will I taste? (you’ll wonder) I’ll tell you.You’ll taste a DELICIOUS soft, extra moist and chewy cookie with crisp edges, deep chocolate flavor, and nutty undertones. And the next day it will be even better!

Scoop 12 cookies, refrigerate, then roll into balls….

Bake!

Some notes/tips:

How to make a vegan egg: mix 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (or flax seeds) with 4 tablespoons water and let it rest for 5 minutes. Replace the egg with this mixture to make the cookies vegan.

Don’t omit the cinnamon or espresso powder (also known as espresso instant coffee). You can’t taste them, but they make a difference!

Use good quality instant coffee granules if you don’t have espresso powder.

Use your favorite chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips (chopping the chocolate will produce both big chunks and trimmings each of which flavors the cookie in a different way). The result will be so much better!

Reserve some pieces of chopped chocolate to place on top of each cookie for a better look.

The dough will be soft. To get big, fat cookies you’ll have to scoop them and chill them in the fridge for several hours before baking (I do this overnight).

After chilling them, you can freeze them and have them ready to bake for when in need.

When you take the cookies out of the oven they’ll be puffed-up. Tap the pan on your counter 2-3 times and you’ll immediately see them transform into bakery-style cookies!

These tahini and olive oil cookies will keep fresh for 3-5 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Transfer the olive oil, the tahini, the sugars, the honey, the vanilla, the cinnamon, the espresso powder and the salt to a bowl and beat with your electric mixer (or a whisk) for 1-2 minutes until sugar is almost dissolved. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute until creamy.

Combine the flour with the baking soda in a small bowl and add them to the olive oil/tahini mixture. Mix gently with a spatula until almost combined. Reserve some pieces of the chopped chocolate and mix the rest with batter.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 12 cookies and place them on a pan or a large plate, the one next to the other. Place the chocolate pieces you have left on top of each cookie, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 356°F (180°C) and line your pan with baking paper.

Roll each cookie into a ball and transfer to the pan, leaving about 2-3 inches distance between each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with some sea salt flakes and bake for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will puff up a bit.

Take the pan out of the oven and TAP/BANG IT 2-3 TIMES ON THE COUNTER for the cookies to deflate and settle. This will give them a bakery-style look. Let them cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Eat!

Recipe Notes

Mix 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (or flax seeds) with 4 tablespoons water and let it rest for 5 minutes. Replace the egg with this mixture to make the cookies vegan.

Hi! No, these do not taste like tahini. When still warm, you get just a hint of tahini (which actually gives them a nutty flavor and complements the chocolate) but when they are cool, you’ll probably not even notice it! Please let me know if you try them, thanks! 🙂

Hi Penny! I haven’t tried this, but I would replace half of the olive oil with double the quantity of tahini, since tahini is about 50%-60% fat (meaning that I would subtract 1/4 cup of olive oil and add 1/2 cup more of tahini). In this case, I would also keep 2 tablespoons of the flour aside and decide whether to use them or not after the dough is mixed. I can’t answer about the egg since I haven’t experimented without it, but I am planning to make a vegan version of these cookies some time in the future. Please let me know if you try them! Thanks!!!

A few weeks ago I made another tahini chocolate chip/chunk cookie recipe made with butter and I like this recipe with olive oil better. Something about the combination of tahini and olive oil made the cookies amazing. I think next time I will use a little less oil and a little more tahini to deepen the tahini flavor in them. Though really as is this is a great recipe. Granted I used organic chocolate chips not chunks of a cut up chocolate bar because I had the chips.

Hi Alison, Yes, using less sugar will certainly affect the consistency and the spreading. Too much flour can also prevent them from spreading, that’s why I always recommend measuring by weight when baking. Good luck for the next time! 🙂